


the trials of psyche are long and hard but also rewarding

by Tatsumaki_sama



Series: The Odyssey of Bryce Wayne [12]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Superman (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Batfamily (DCU), F/M, Female Bruce Wayne, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Jealousy, Light Angst, Love Triangles, Matchmaking, Meddling Kids, Mother-Son Relationship, Mutual Pining, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Relationship(s), Post-Break Up, Timeline What Timeline, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25016047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tatsumaki_sama/pseuds/Tatsumaki_sama
Summary: Out all the things he found out since returning back to the Manor and adjusting, Jason was horrified to discover that Bryce and Clark had broke up. He sets out to get them together again.
Relationships: Clark Kent & Jason Todd, Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Series: The Odyssey of Bryce Wayne [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/672506
Comments: 6
Kudos: 315





	the trials of psyche are long and hard but also rewarding

**Author's Note:**

> I just thought it would be interesting and hilarious that Jason of all people would play matchmaker. And there is no such thing as timeline here or continuity with my other stories in this series. This was supposed to be more light-hearted and short but somehow ended up being pretty long and having more angst than I thought. I hope I managed to get Jason right, I decided not to go into detail about him and Bryce making up. I found it tough to write him at times. I also realized I never wrote a story really centered on Bryce and the boys, so here it is!

Jason hadn't thought about it until he managed to stay for one week at the Manor.

Bryce and Alfred were pleased to have him back in their own quiet, stoic ways. Dick had been ecstatic and was trying to make up as many hugs as possible, even if Jason half-heartedly told him to back off. Tim was a little more wary though tolerating, even if he chose not to stay too long in the same room as Jason if possible. Damian was volatile and not afraid to hiss like an angry cat at him, clearly not forgiving of their previous violent altercations.

So caught up with absorbing that he had patched things up with Bryce and he was back home that he did not realize he had not seen Clark come by the Manor at all since his return.

“ So where's Clark?” Jason casually asked one morning, when it was just him, Alfred and Bryce in the kitchen. “ Haven't seen the big blue drop by in a few days.”

Bryce's mug froze halfway to her lips. Even Alfred stopped what he was washing by the sink. A sudden rush of dread settled in Jason's stomach.

“ Clark visits when he needs to,” she curtly said. Right leaving the kitchen in stony silence.

“ What was that about?” Jason incredulously said.

Alfred answered on her behalf.

“ Miss Bryce and Master Clark are no longer together.”

He stopped, slowing digesting those words.

“ Bullshit!”

“ Language,” Alfred chided.

A surge of _something_ raced through Jason's blood. It was like finding out that Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny weren't real. His fingers clenched and there was a need to punch or shoot at something.

All this time, he didn't consider the possibility, though he shouldn't have been too surprised seeing how he had not seen Clark as much in Gotham. If Bryce or the others happened to talk a little less about Clark, he had simply taken it that Clark was busy with his own matters.

Alfred looked at him with a sense of sympathy. “ They went through some difficulties during the time when we all believed you to be dead. They decided that the best course of action to separate.”

There were plenty of things Jason wanted to say about that but he kept his mouth shut at Alfred's pointed look.

“ It's just ... _wrong,_ ” he said instead, sounding like a petulant child even in his own ears.

“ Life is hardly fair,” Alfred quietly agreed.

~.~.~

Jason was already sipping his chocolate milkshake when Tim arrived at the diner.

Tim appeared somewhat less skittish since he was meeting Jason in a public area, when they were in civilian clothing and not in costume. Which was mind-boggling to Jason but whatever it took to meet with the kid alone worked for him. The kid was smart and less likely to make a fuss like Dick or Damian and Jason had to prioritize his allies.

“ Why meet out here?” Tim asked, sliding into the seat.

“ Because I have some bodies in my old place and I need your help to hide them without people getting nosy,” Jason snarked.

Tim gave him such a dry look that resembled Bryce that Jason couldn't help but grin. It did make Tim relax a little, so it was a small victory. “ Okay, so what's the problem?” he said.

“ It's about B and our honorary super uncle.”

And all at once, Tim's position changed. He squared his shoulders and leaned forward, eyes narrowing like he was contemplating the worst possible scenarios out there and what he should prepare to deal with each one accordingly.

Knowing his audience was captivated, Jason continued. “ They should be together but they _aren't_ ,” he stressed as much gravity he could muster.

Tim's eyebrows rose. His mouth pressed into a frown as if he couldn't quite decide whether he should be smiling or be concerned.

Either way, it was not a laughing matter. Jason ploughed on. “ They broke up, what, years ago,” he huffed. “ And I can tell they are happier when they are together.”

That was very much the truth. Bryce did happen to smile a lot more when she was with Clark and she tended to make more jokes in his presence. Especially when compared to other men. And Clark just glowed around Bryce, eyes softening and his eyes were only ever on her. Other women didn't get the same courtesy.

“ Did you talk to either of them about this?” Tim asked diplomatically.

“ Haven't gotten that far. Both have been busy.”

“ What's your plan of action?”

Jason grinned. “ Getting invested, are we?”

“ It was weird, not seeing them together,” Tim admitted. His fingers tugged absently on his napkin. “ They broke up by the time I came on the scene. She didn't want to talk about it, no one did, really. She treats him no different than any of their coworkers. On the surface, they are still able to work well professionally. But I think she misses him.”

Now that perked Jason's curiosity. “ She does?”

“ She was watching Metropolis's street cameras on her birthday last year.”

Ouch. That was sad and a bit pathetic, even for Bryce.

“ So how are we going to start operation kiss and make up?”

Tim chewed his lip thoughtfully. “ We would have to be discreet, to not make them suspicious. I doubt either one of them would like it if they found out we were meddling into their affairs.”

“ B does it all the time,” Jason snorted. “ It's only fair if we get do it to her.”

~.~.~

Conner Kent reacted with horror when Tim decided to involve him.

“ I'd do anything for you, Tim, but getting involved with Clark's love life? With Batwoman of all people?” Conner looked suddenly ill. “ She'd kill me first, then Clark will resurrect me, only to kill me himself!”

“ Don't be silly, neither of them have killed people yet,” Tim mildly said to Conner's spluttering. “ Look, just message Clark with the script I provided you. We need to see if he is still interested in Bryce or if he is even dating someone else. He will suspect less if it came from you instead of us.”

“ Why don't you just ask Bryce? You live with her, don't you? Why go through Clark first?”

“ Because Clark is less likely to ground us,” Tim cheekily said. “ And Bryce isn't the world's greatest detective without reason.”

“ Yeah, yeah, but if the heat comes down on us, I'll throw you both under the bus,” Conner muttered, even as he pulled out his phone.

It took a few minutes, but Clark responded.

_Hello Conner, what would you like me to help you with?_

Like a good friend, Conner followed Tim's instructions. _Just asking for some girl advice, seeing how you got a girlfriend_

_Conner, could we talk about this tonight? I'm heading to the Watchtower and don't you have schoolwork to complete?_ Even the text sounded filled with parental disapproval.

“ He's avoiding the question,” Tim remarked, looking intrigued.

_This is important!_ Conner emphasized at Tim's direction. _My friend_ ' _s birthday is coming up, I don't know what to get her, can you ask your lady friend what she would like? Help me with some ideas_

_Conner, I'm not seeing anyone, but I can ask Lois if you want_

Tim hummed. “ At least one question is answered.”

_Nah, don't want to bother Lois, but I heard something interesting about Bryce from Tim the other day_

There was a pause.

_Bryce? What about her?_

_She has been sneaking around and staying up late more than usual, Tim joked that maybe she's dating someone, just wondering if you heard anything about it in your little League meetings_

There was a longer pause. Jason and Tim leaned forward eagerly.

_No. I haven't heard anything_

And it was quiet after that.

Conner looked expectantly at Tim for the next step.

“ Say that she's on the rebound and going after a hot new villain or something,” Jason helpfully said.

“ That's stupid, normal people don't do that,” Conner hissed.

“ This is a woman who dresses like a bat and punches criminals on the street every night.”

“ Still, even she has better common sense than to that.”

“ Wait.” Tim had an impish look. “ Tell Clark that she is interested in Two-Face.”

“ What?”

“ What?!”

“ Just do it!”

_I think I heard that Two-Face is turning a new leaf, you don't think she's interested in him that way?_

“ Clark isn't going to fall for that!” Jason rolled his eyes.

“ Everyone knows Kryptonians are possessive over their loved ones,” Tim wisely said.

“ Hey! I resent that!”

“ Why Two-Face of all people?” Jason interrupted.

“ He has been doing well in rehab. And Bryce has visited him in Arkham recently. And I know for a fact that he did kiss Bryce in front of Clark a while back and apparently it's still a sore spot for Clark.”

“ You're scary at gathering information like that, you know?”

“ Clark answered back!”

_I dont think that would be a good idea. Two-Face is unpredictable. He could end up hurting her_

“ Look! He made a grammar mistake!” Tim crowed, looking supremely gleeful.

“ Oh no, Clark didn't even correct himself! He must still be in love with that crazy woman,” Conner moaned.

Tim bristled indignantly on his adopted mother's behalf. “ Don't call her that.”

After a moment –

_Maybe I should speak with Bryce about this_

All three boys collectively stared at Conner's phone screen.

“ Damn,” Conner whistled.

“ Oh wow,” was all Tim could say.

“ That escalated fast,” Jason grinned.

But it proved one thing. Clark wasn't entirely over Bryce. While yes, Clark had plenty of women and ex-girlfriends he cared for and he had gotten indirectly involved if he thought they were going to be in trouble, none of them could recall such a quick turnaround and Clark to be so unequivocally bluntly honest about getting involved.

“ He's definitely still interested in her,” Tim concluded in a quiet, awestruck sort of voice.

There was a ding on Conner's phone, it was an unknown number that just sent a new text message.

_Tim, we are going to have a talk_

“ It's Bryce!” Tim squeaked.

The three of them quickly scrambled up and ran for it, even though there was no place to truly run from the world's greatest detective.

~.~.~

In the end, Bryce did not ground Tim and Clark did not grill Conner about his involvement.

But Bryce made Tim go through many rounds of relentless practice for the rest of the weekend and Clark made Conner go to the Kents' farm for a few days without his cell phone.

“ I hate you,” Tim grumbled to Jason as he laid across his bed nursing several sore muscles.

“ Price to pay for love, huh?” Jason cheerfully said as he handed Tim a bag of ice. “ Thanks for not ratting me out though. I owe you one, kiddo.”

“ I regret all my life choices.”

“ Tim regretting something? What has the world come to?”

Dick walked in, looking thoroughly amused. He sat on the edge of the bed, handing Tim a mug of Alfred's signature chamomile tea. “ So Tim, what on earth possessed you to tell Clark about Two-Face?” he asked. “ And behind Bryce's back, no less. No wonder she was in a bad mood the last few days.”

“ Ask him,” Tim mumbled from his pillow, refusing to lift his head.

Eager to gain another ally, Jason presented his case.

“ It's about getting B and Clark back together.”

Dick's amusement quickly faded. He suddenly looked uncomfortable. “ That is – well, neither Bryce or Clark would appreciate the interfering, don't you think? As evidence by the torture poor Tim and Conner are enduring.”

There was a muffled groan of agreement.

“ But the fact they reacted that way proves there is something still there, a spark or whatever people call it these days,” Jason grinned. “ Come on, Dick, we all know it's there. Don't tell me you wouldn't want them back together again.”

“ I do, I mean, Clark is the best and he was good for Bryce. She was – happier when he was here. But I don't know.” Dick sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

“ Clark was jealous when we mentioned Two-Face,” Jason divulged. “ Said he was going to talk to Bryce to convince her to stop to visiting him. And he actually did!”

“ Don't you think you might be overacting a little? I would do the same if I knew an ex-girlfriend was going to Arkham to date a criminal.”

“ Within seconds of finding out?”

“ Okay, maybe not that far. But Clark still cares for Bryce even as a friend. And you know Clark, he would do anything for his friends.”

This resistance was not what Jason had expected from Dick of all people. “ I thought you would jump on board with this,” he said in a tone of accusation.

Dick made a long-suffering sound. “ Look, I get it, Jason. You and me, we grew up seeing Clark around all the time. But you both didn't see him and Bryce at their worst, when things really got bad and tense between them. And it's been so long, they finally buried the hatchet and are on speaking terms again. Hell, maybe they already moved on from this and don't want to ruin their friendship.”

“ I don't think so.”

Tim sat up from the bed, his tone contemplative. “ The moving on part, anyways. If that really was the case, wouldn't Clark have married Lois Lane or Lana Lang by now? Or Bryce deciding she could be happy for once and actually consider trying to date someone else?”

Dick was quiet.

“ Besides, would you want Two-Face to be your step-father?” Tim added bluntly.

“ Excuse me while I bleach my brain,” Jason gagged while Dick grimaced.

“ Or Hush? He makes proposals to Bryce all the time, she might accept one day. Maybe Ra's? Only Damian would be happy then, I guess. Or even better, Hal Jordan. Bryce would be a widow before their honeymoon.”

At this, Jason started cackling and even Dick was snorting.

“ Okay, okay, you make good points,” Dick raised his arms up in defeat, smiling. “ So now what? We can't just go up to either of them and tell them to go and get back together.”

“ Maybe we should.”

“ What?”

“ Think about it! The two of them are the most stubborn people – well, extraterrestrial in Clark's case – on this side of the universe!” Jason said. “ Do you think either of them would do anything without outside intervention?”

“ And you have a plan for this?”

“ I'm still working on it!”

~.~.~

In the end, Damian happened to beat the three of them to it.

“ Mother, you should get back together with Father,” Damian promptly demanded during a rare dinner when all of them were together.

Jason's fork clattered on the plate. Dick and Tim nearly choked on their food.

Bryce was the only one who managed to compose herself. “ And why is that, Damian?” she asked, a little too calmly.

“ Because you are lonely and are in need of companionship – especially one of the male gender. I heard Todd, Drake and Grayson say so.”

There were plenty of choice words that Jason would have liked to call Damian and probably would have said if Bryce wasn't looking between the three of them with an inscrutable gaze.

“ Really?” she dryly said, with a particular fixed look at Tim. “ I suppose Harvey was not a good enough companion for me?”

Tim shrunk in his seat.

Dick, as always, managed to somewhat salvage the situation.

“ I'm really full, what a great dinner, thanks Alfred, and I like to get some exercise. Damian, let's spar.”

Damian looked indignant. “ No, I'm not, Grayson, what – ?”

He never got a chance to refuse but with the natural grace of one trained by acrobats, Dick already swept Damian up in his arms and dashed off with him.

Jason and Tim followed and desperately hoped Bryce would not do the same.

Damian struggled all the way before Dick deposited him onto Dick's bed. “ Grayson! What is the meaning of this?” he hissed.

“ You were eavesdropping on us, you little brat!” Jason growled.

“ It wasn't my fault you were talking so loud! I'm sure Mother and Pennyworth heard you too!”

“ That doesn't give you the right to start blabbering to Bryce and asking her to marry that old geezer.”

Damian's eyes flashed. “ That's my father you're talking about.”

“ The same father who nearly killed Tim a few months ago. Guess you just want your father back just to kill off the competition?”

Dick managed to grab Damian before he tried to jump at Jason.

“ Calm down, Damian. Jason, that's enough,” Dick firmly said.

Damian ruffled up like a cat, which might have been cute if Jason was to admit in a drunken stupor. “ That alien treated Mother badly!”

“ It's rude to call Clark that,” Tim admonished. “ And when did he treat Bryce badly?”

“ He was the one to go and date that harlot while Mother waited for him after they separated,” Damian heatedly continued, ignoring Tim. “ She never said anything and he went and broke her heart. My father at least has the decency to still want Mother. Go ask the alien if you don't believe me.”

“ Damian, enough,” Dick said with a hardened tone. The boy clenched his teeth but obeyed. “ You know that is not true. It was well over a year before Clark even dated again. And Bryce was fine with it.”

“ And you believed her? Mother would rather die than say she didn't approve of it.” Damian glared mulishly at Jason who returned one of his own. “ Why do you want that alien back with Mother anyways?”

“ Because unlike your father, Clark was good for her!”

“ And you accuse me of favouritism?” Damian scoffed. “ You see that alien as your father. You're just being selfish, Todd!”

“ Of course I am selfish!” Jason snarled. “ Do you know how everything has changed since I came back? I don't even know Gotham anymore! I want to have at least one thing to be the same as it was before I died!”

Silence.

He was acutely aware how the three of them were staring at him with a mixture of pity, confusion and sympathy.

He hated them all for a moment.

“ Jason ...”

He swatted away Dick's hand and he did what he always did best.

He ran.

~.~.~

Given the number of times it had happened to him, Clark was no longer surprised to find a stranger uninvited in his apartment.

But he was surprised to realize it was Jason.

“ I hope you at least left some of Ma's pie for me,” Clark mildly said.

“ Can't help it. She makes the best pies.” Jason sauntered off the kitchen counter with a light jump. Clark could see at the very least Jason had enough manners to clean the dish and utensils and put them on the drying rack. Alfred would be pleased.

Now, it had been a long day at the Daily Planet, so as patient as he was, he would like to get some sleep. “ Something I can help you with, Jason?”

Jason didn't say anything for a moment. He surveyed Clark so intently Clark wondered if perhaps he spontaneously developed x-ray vision.

“ So you and Lois Lane, huh?” Jason looked simultaneously impressed and disappointed.

“ That was a long time ago. And it is rude to investigate people's dating lives,” Clark lightly chastised, already knowing his laptop and phone were most likely hacked.

“ I learned from the best,” Jason smugly said.

“ You're good but not that good,” Clark said fondly.

“ Heh. Bryce always said that.”

At the mention of Bryce, the room suddenly felt a little cooler.

Jason scuffed the back of his heel into the carpet. Clark didn't need super-hearing to know he was grinding his teeth. “ Why did you two break up?” Jason finally said.

“ Does this have to do with the text messages I received from Conner earlier?”

When Jason didn't answer, Clark sighed. “ We were ... both of us weren't in a good place. What we had then wasn't healthy. It was the best for the both of us.”

“ Alfred and Dick said the same.” Jason narrowed his eyes. “ All right, you two went through some problems. So what?”

“ A death of a child can change a person,” Clark quietly said.

There was a crack in Jason's expression, hot and angry, at him, at Bryce. And if Clark was being honest, he would say there was _self-loathing_ in it too.

“ Jason, we both blamed ourselves and each other for what happened,” Clark explained, in a gentle tone he had used several times when comforting a frightened child. “ Things were said, things got heated, we fought all the time. We never wanted to hurt each other but we knew that continuing like that would eventually kill us.”

(it took months before he could look Bryce in the eye and not feel like he was drowning, every time she kept her greetings short and clipped and walked away without saying anything more drove a Kryptonite dagger through his heart, he said what he said to appease Jason but he felt like dying and dying along the dark empty chasm between him and Bryce)

“ Well, I'm back and alive now,” Jason said through gritted teeth.

“ People can change.”

“ Hence you dating Lois Lane while Bryce – kept being Bryce.”

This was nothing new to Clark. He knew Bryce was dedicated to her work and would rather be absorbed in it than try to seek out a new relationship. She did offer her congratulations when she found out he had been dating Lois and genuinely seemed happy for them.

(it was a slight ache that Bryce had made an exception for him, willing to give it a chance to make it work)

(the accusatory tone in Jason's voice didn't help)

“ It was a long time ago, Jason.” Clark managed to maintain that quiet gentle voice. “ We moved on since then.”

“ Then why keep that engagement ring?” Jason challenged.

That was what Clark had been hoping Jason would not find, hidden away in his room and in the dark corner of his closet, away from prying eyes and from his own line of sight.

He had been planning and planning for weeks, agonizing over it and losing sleep over it, wondering the best way to go about it. Jonathan and Martha Kent were absolutely thrilled and gave Clark the ring that Jonathan had proposed to Martha. Alfred too beamed and gave his wholehearted blessing when Clark nervously asked him for permission. Clark had even wanted to know if Dick and Jason would approve and swore them to secrecy while the boys shrieked in delight and tackled him into a hug.

The only person left to ask was Bryce herself.

Only he never got around to it.

Too much happened all at once and before he knew it, they broke up and the ring remained in his apartment.

The unfortunate truth was that as much as Clark should have given it back to Jonathan and Martha all these years or entertained the idea of proposing to Lois or anyone else, he couldn't. He just couldn't. Bryce had meant too much to him, she _still_ meant a lot to him, and if he tried to hand the ring back or give to someone else, it was like throwing away a part of him who was still in love with Bryce after all this time.

His parents understood and never said a word about it. Lois was able to figure it out too, bless her, and she had been overwhelmingly kind to point this out to him as she gently ended things with him.

He thought that maybe, just maybe, him and Bryce still had a chance – perhaps they still _do_. He had been considering talking to Bryce for months now, but they were too busy, it was never the right time, there was always a new crisis to deal with.

Seeing Jason again alive and well and knowing Jason had patched things up with Bryce and the others, it couldn't have been a better opportunity to try to resolve things between them.

Having that kind of hope was a dangerous thing. And for once in his life, Clark was too fearful to act on it.

“ Like I said, it was for the best,” Clark repeated, the words sounding hollow.

The look on Jason's face told him that Jason didn't buy it either way.

~.~.~

Bryce found Jason on top of WayneTower, surveying the Gotham night skyline.

Jason could hardly recognize it. There was more smoke and pollution, new buildings blurring together. Something about the city appeared to be darker, more menacing, filled with an inescapable gloom. The taint was still there, just worse.

He wondered if it had always been there and he never noticed it when he was younger.

He was no longer that carefree boy from before.

He had changed.

The soft crunch of footsteps behind him stirred him from his thoughts.

She wasn't in costume. Jason absently wondered if she had contacted Clark to find him here. Or just spent hours looking through every surveillance camera to locate him.

Her hair was still tied up from her earlier business meeting, though Jason could see a few grey strands tucked away and it was painful to realize that Bryce was not getting any younger. She sat next to him, joints slightly creaking as her legs dangled over the edge, mimicking his posture.

Neither of them said anything at first. Bryce was never good with words and Jason was all too quick with them.

Jason thought it would be just like one of the many uncomfortable silences they endured before but this kind of calm, whatever it was, was actually kind of nice. There was still underlying tension and unresolved things between them but at least his immediate reaction wasn't to yell, punch or throw something at her.

“ Mabel's Cafe is just down there,” Bryce abruptly said. She said it like he didn't remember where it was, a little homely place tucked between two apartment buildings. “ You ate four cream donuts after a patrol one night.”

“ Alfred nearly boxed my ears after,” Jason smiled at the memory. “ If fighting Killer Croc didn't almost kill me that night, Alfred would have.”

There was a twitch to Bryce's mouth.

“ But it's closing.” Jason had passed by it before, only to find out the owner had died this year, no one was able to manage it and the son decided to sell it.

Another relic of Jason's past to be demolished and buried.

Finally, Bryce pointed to something just a little higher than the skyline. Jason followed her line of sight.

“ Aries.”

Jason remembered spending nights with Bryce and Alfred on top of the Manor and looking through all the constellations through the telescope Bryce had gotten him for his birthday.

Despite the increased city smog, he could still make it out.

“ Some say Aries was the ram who became the Golden Fleece,” Bryce said.

“ Yeah, I remember that.” Jason swallowed. He bought all the books he could about Greek mythology when he learned about it in class one day and he had begged Bryce to read all the stories to him every night. And she would.

“ A certain Jason went out to retrieve the fleece and claim his kingdom.”

Maybe that was why he had loved that particular story. He wanted to be a hero, go on a journey, get the girl and become someone who would live forever in stories.

“ That Jason ended up dying on the rotting hull of his ship alone,” he said instead.

Bryce looked sharply at him.

But that was the truth, wasn't it? That Jason ended up making mistake after mistake, losing his family and losing his kingdom before dying in disgrace and forgotten.

Perhaps Jason was doomed to be like him too.

“ People can change,” Bryce softly said.

Change. There was that word again.

Everyone kept saying, using different contexts and meanings. But he kept hearing it.

“ Is it pathetic of me that I don't want to change?” Jason muttered. “ I want things the way they were before – before everything.”

There was a shift and Bryce's arm had wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him close to her. Surprisingly, there was no urge to try to push her away.

“ No,” she murmured, her lips brushing against his forehead. “ There is nothing wrong with that.”

Jason couldn't remember the last time someone held him like this.

It wasn't so bad.

~.~.~

Clark came by Wayne Manor the next day.

He had chose a time when he knew Damian and Tim were at school. Dick had driven back to Bludhaven the night before to start his next shift. Jason was shanghaied into accompanying Alfred as he did groceries and other errands.

And Bryce would be in her study room.

She didn't look up from her papers as he entered through the door.

“ I decided to extend Conner's grounding after I caught him trying to get a hold of another cell phone,” Clark said in lieu of a greeting.

“ Extend it for another week. He just ordered a third phone.”

Clark's mouth twitched. “ Of course you would know about it before I do.”

She looked up at him. “ Tim ordered the phone,” she said with a slight smirk.

“ You made him go through another set of exercises, didn't you?”

“ He will after he comes home from school. It will teach him to hide his digital trail better.”

“ The joys of parenting.”

When was the last time they talked like this? Not about work, whether from their civilian or superhero identities. To talk about their kids and how they drove them crazy, like normal people.

It was nice, just like old times.

“ Jason came to my apartment yesterday,” Clark finally said.

Bryce was not surprised. “ And he convinced you to visit.”

She was subtly challenging him, probing him for answers. There was no doubt that she already deduced why Jason went to his apartment.

“ Lois and I had broke up,” he said without any prompting.

Bryce raised an eyebrow. “ I was aware of that approximately two years five months and three weeks ago when you told me yourself in person.”

“ You were keeping count?”

Bryce brushed off his curiosity as one would a fly. “ Why are you telling me this?”

“ I met with Lana a little while after me and Lois, thought I'll give things a try, but it didn't work. We were interested in different things, had different lifestyles by then.” Now that the words were coming, Clark just couldn't stop. “ I visited Lori too, but she got married, they were thinking about having kids soon. Which is great, great for her. It was still nice to see her again.”

He wished Bryce would stop looking at him like that.

“ Clark.”

He almost shuddered at the slow careful way she said his name, how safe and secure it was when spoken through her lips like that. “ Why are you telling me this?” she repeated, a little too softly.

“ I thought I knew what I wanted. I thought I figured things out. But the more I tried, the more I didn't know what I wanted.” He swallowed a humourless chuckle. “ Does that make any sense?”

Bryce tilted her head, eyes crinkling in deep thought. He always liked that little mannerism of hers.

The thing about Bryce was that she could read him better than almost anyone else other than Jonathan and Martha. She knew him inside out, the good, the bad and ugly, and when she looked at him, she could see what he was really trying to say but couldn't or didn't know how. And she knew what he needed to hear, as painful and harsh as it was.

Bryce stood up from her desk and walked around to stand in front of him. He thought this might be the closest they have been since they went their separate ways.

God, she still looked as amazing as ever.

“ It's about choosing to be happy. And you deserve to be happy, Clark,” Bryce firmly said. Her eyes gazed into his, understanding and gentle and not entirely meeting the small smile on her face. “ What you had with Lois was a good thing. So go talk with her and work things out. She is a good woman, she would make you very happy.”

Bryce stepped back, Clark could hardly breathe, he just couldn't stop looking at her, and when she was about to turn away –

“ I was the happiest – when I was with you.”

She froze.

“ I understand that you don't want to restart what we had, that you don't want to give this another chance,” Clark quietly said. “ I know I wasn't the most supportive back then, I didn't try to understand you and I know I said things that hurt you. I know you have just started something with Harvey Dent – or if it was anyone else really – and I won't get between you two. I will leave and I won't bother you again and I am happy for you if that is the – ”

He was cut off when Bryce suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt and pull him down for a kiss.

It was as if they continued exactly where they left off.

His hands were familiar with the soft angles and curves of her body, knowing where to hold her and pulling her in. Her own fingers brushed against his cheek, his neck and jawline, recalling the intimate lines and slopes of his face. Her lips still made his heart skip a beat and left him feeling oh so breathless and dizzy with happiness, as they always had.

He was still somewhere floating above the Milky Way when Bryce finally pulled away, her breathing short and sharp.

“ I was never with Harvey.” She spoke as if she was discussing the weather.

“ I figured that now.”

“ I haven't been with anyone else.”

“ I know.”

“ That fling with that actor doesn't count.”

“ Wait, which actor?”

Bryce's eyes were gleaming wickedly. And Clark couldn't help but huff in amusement.

“ I – should have said something sooner. But you were already with Lois by then. I thought you were happy with her, so I didn't say anything.” Bryce's voice became quiet.

Clark sighed. “ I shouldn't have misled you or Lois like that.”

“ No, that was never your intention. Sometimes it takes perspective to realize things.” Bryce shook her head. “ Back then, I was angry at myself, at many things and at many people and I took it out on everyone, you most of all. I – never meant to push you away. Seeing you with Lois made me realized what I had lost. Perhaps it was the same with you. It took me a while to figure what I wanted too.”

Clark buried his face against her neck, relishing the warmth of her skin. “ It's part of being human,” he murmured.

She hummed in agreement, a low comforting vibration against his cheek.

“ Though I suppose I'm an exception, on account of my parentage.”

She quirked her mouth, elbowing his side lightly. “ Don't push your luck. I might change my mind and run into another actor's arms instead.”

Clark laughed, a moment of unrestrained joy. The crushing weight of frustration and uneasiness was off his shoulders. He was somewhat aware that he was floating a few feet above the floor.

And he was carrying her with him.

“ We will need to talk about a lot of things.”

“ You know I was never good with words.”

“ I know.”

“ You were always patient, too good for someone like me.” Bryce's tone was wistful. “ You deserve better,” she softly said.

“ I don't need better,” Clark said, voice low and hoarse. “ I just want you.”

And the years of silence and bitterness and tension were broken down and melted until nothing as Clark kissed her again and Bryce returned it with a longing that matched his.

How perfect this moment was.

“ Whoa!”

They quickly broke apart to see Jason and Alfred standing at the doorway. They must have came back earlier than expected.

Alfred appeared pleasantly surprised but Jason was downright ecstatic.

“ This is just like that time I caught both of you in bed!”

“ Jason.” Bryce gave a warning.

“ That was not what happened then and you know it,” Clark was certain his cheeks, already flushed from exhilaration, was turning redder.

“ Sure, B was just 'comforting' you.”

“ We did nothing that night.” How did Clark's life come to the point where he needed to defend himself and his virtue against one of Bryce's children?

“ Uh huh, whatever you say, Uncle Clark.” Jason was grinning widely. For a moment, he looked a few years younger, like the teenager he was meant to be. “ But I still have bragging rights over the demon brat.”

“ Jason,” Bryce warned again.

“ All right, all right, we will leave you two to continue your snogging. I'll keep everyone out for now. You two can thank me after. Don't get too handsy though, I like to read in this room, you know? Enjoy!” He gave them an exaggerated salute before grabbing Alfred, who was barely able to contain his own amusement, and shut the door.

“ I miss the days when I was a respected figure to your boys,” Clark sighed.

“ Join the club,” Bryce nodded with resigned sympathy.

It was the inevitable truth that people and things change.

But there were some things in the world that would never change.


End file.
